Pair of Altar Candlesticks
Medium
Gilded cast bronze
Dimensions
1: 42.3 × 20.8 × 18.6 cm (16 5/8 × 8 3/16 × 7 5/16 in.); 2: 41.6 × 20.4 × 18.1 cm (16 3/8 × 8 × 7 1/8 in.)
Classification
altar candlesticks
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
238983
Art Historical Context
Created in 1862 by the renowned French architect and designer Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc these Pair of Altar Candlesticks exemplify the refined craftsmanship of 19th-century European applied arts. Viollet-le-Duc, celebrated for his restorations of Gothic cathedrals such as Notre-Dame in Paris, brought his deep appreciation for medieval forms to decorative objects. Cast in bronze and richly gilded, the candlesticks would have gleamed under church lighting, their warm golden surfaces enhancing the solemn atmosphere of religious ceremonies. The medium of gilded cast bronze allowed for intric...